Cattaraugus CountyVeterans of the Great War1917-1918

As I was surfing the different Cattaraugus
genealogy sites, it came to me that there were many Civil War
resources, but few with World War One rosters. I remembered in my
father's papers, there was a list, or roster of some of the people with
whom he served . Wonder of wonders, I found it! Turned out, it was
the " Emergency Address " list complete with next of kin's address, for
platoons one through four of Company "I" of the 108th Infantry, 54th
Infantry Brigade, 27th Division of the U.S. Army.

Susan Edmonds, a relative of Gerald Donigan, a
casualty in Company I, has furnished me with some newspaper clippings of
obituaries of some of the men, as well as list of casualties. Some
of the names now have links to additional information about that
individual. Thanks Susan.

For those of you who may have had ancestors or
relatives in the Great War from Cattaraugus and Erie County there may be
some "connections" in these lists. They not only list the soldiers
name, but his next of kin, and their address and relationship. Many
from Olean, Buffalo, Allegany, and a few from NYC and elsewhere.

The origin of these documents is unclear. They
are typed carbon copies. The paper appears to have been provided by the
Y.M.C.A with a YMCA logo with the word "on active service with the
American Expeditionary Forces" on the backside. It sort of looks like
something the YMCA may have provided the troops to use when writing
home. My best guess is that these were typed by a company clerk, who
may have used whatever paper was available. It is also possible that
somehow the YMCA may have been a participant in the generation of this
next of kin list. Whatever the source, from this point forward, they
shall remain in the public domain, in memory of those who served. If
this site helps you out, let me know, it would make the effort worth
it - Richard Allen

Wilfred "Friday" Allen kept a diary from May of 1918 through April of 1919. He mentions several other "Boys" from Company I, and I have linked some of their names to their pictures.

Company I of the 108th Infantry was part of the 27th Division. It is now called the 27th Infantry Brigade NY Army National Guard. Good information on this "Military Wiki' site (Off Site)

LA BATAILLE DE LA SELLE - This page, created by Bernard LeMaire is a great site even if you can't read French. He details the Battle of St. Souplet (where he lives) and has some excellent pictures. If you can get a friend or a translator program, it is well worth reading the text. A lot of our Cattaraugus boys died there. (Off Site)

J.F. Oakleaf was an Olean resident and an Intelligence Officer with the 108th. In 1921 the Olean Times published his Official report of the involvement of our own Olean Company "I", a unit of the 108th Infantry. (Off Site)

This archive of primary documents from World War I has been assembled by volunteers of the World War I Military History List (WWI-L). The archive is international in focus and intends to present in one location primary documents concerning the Great War. (Off Site)

Created the Eleventh day of the Eleventh Month, 1998 -
updated 6/06/2008This site is dedicated to the memory of my Father - Wilfred " Friday " Allen 1896-1964